Come Fourth, Pharaoh Girl
by Potato Chips and Power Levels
Summary: Yuki Muto was sure there was no way her life could get any weirder; after all, she shared a body with a 5,000 year old spirit and her self-proclaimed arch-rival was a sixteen year-old girl in charge of a gaming company. Yuki was seldom right about anything, though. Genderbent Yugi/Yami. Implied PuzzleShipping (Yami x Yugi) Rated for later chapters.
1. The Door

**A/N: I've been toying around with this idea for a while, and with the whole of summer vacation ahead of me I've finally decided to write it. I am well aware that I have other dying, neglected fanfics, mainly Fullmetal Warrior: Bright Dawn, that need some attention, and I _will _get to those in due time. Until then, here's my newest creation: _Come Fourth, Pharaoh Girl_. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

_Disclaimer: _Come Fourth, Pharaoh Girl _is a fanfiction and is purely fan-made.I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its plot, characters, or icons, and I am not receiving any profit for this piece of writing._

* * *

"Yes, good girl. See, the Millennium Jigsaw, for example, houses my spirit. Other items, such as the Millennium Talisman, hold the spirits of other past people. In the Talisman's case, that would be the Bandit Mistress Sakura."

"The Millennium Ankh allows its user to enter other's minds, where their soul rests, right?" Yuki interrupted. "And the Millennium Weight is the strongest of the Millennium items, right, Kage-Sama?"

Kage nodded at her apprentice, smiling, but her smile lessened at the mention of the Millennium Weight's power.

"Any item can by strong, Yuki-Chan, with the right wielder. The Weight is only strong if its master's intentions are pure."

"Right, right." Yuki laughed nervously. "Sorry, Sensei. I'll remember that." Kage's smile, however weak, remained, and she shook her head with a light chuckle.

"There's no need for formal titles, Yuki. You forget that we are equals."

"Sorry, Sense-er, Kage-Sama." Yuki giggled, fiddling with the Millennium Jigsaw around her neck. Kage nodded decisively.

"Back to the subject at hand, Yuki-Chan, I have fear the human race has discovered something I had hoped would stay hidden; the legendary Millennium Door. I was sure I properly secured it back then, but I must have overlooked something..." Kage lowered her head in shame, blushing.

"Millennium…Portal?" Yuki squeaked, intrigued.

"Yes." the spirit girl replied. "Yuki-Chan…" her tone of voice changed suddenly, startling the smaller. Her words were quiet, barely audible. And rushed, one could say. Her speech came out fast, excited, and almost seemed forlorn. The hidden dread in the older girl's voice scared Yuki, and tears sprang to her violet eyes. Never had she doubted her Kage-Sama before. But now, when the latter seemed so uncertain, Yuki felt completely alone, even as Kage's ghostly spirit hands firmly squeezed her right shoulder, holding her in an awkward, gentle embrace.

"Have you ever wondered if there are worlds out there? Worlds other than your own?"

"I…I guess so…" Yuki murmured doubtfully.

"There are." Kage's voice had been reduced to a faint whisper, one that caused Yuki to sniffle loudly.

"Kage-Sama…"

"There are other worlds…" Yuki's dark counterpart continued. She suddenly snapped out of her trance, smiling sadly down at Yuki and running a hand through the smaller girl's hair in a sisterly gesture, pulling her into a hug. Yuki buried her face in the fabric of Kage's shirt, then squirmed out of Kage's hold with a squeal of indignation. Kage laughed, shaking her head to clear away the fog. Strength poured into her voice, and she continued gravely. "There are millions of worlds, Yuki-Chan. Some are almost identical to our own, and others are horribly corrupt. For example, there is an alternate reality somewhere where we ate lunch five minutes late. It may or may not affect the rest of the day, but it still exists. My own home-that is, a time several thousand years ago, is a world in its own. 'Another world' is merely a gap in either time or space, or both. What happened this morning is a different world than that which we are currently in, and whatever happens in an hour is also it's own portion of time. However, somewhere there is a world where you never had friends. There is a universe where you live in Europe, and one where you were never born at all. But, these aren't just time gaps. You can't go back in time to witness something that never was. You have to leave your own timeline, and travel to one parallel to our world, one with a timeline that is forbidden to intersect that of our own. Do you understand so far, Yuki?"

Yuki thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Yes…yes! For a moment there…I got it!"

"Good. Now, normally, jumping to another universe or even another point in time is near impossible. However the Millennium Door allowed any person to time warp or space jump, with no limits on who could use it or restrictions on how many times it could be used. Makes sense?"

"I think."

"Well, it did, at the time. The only problem was that the user had no control over where or when the Portal cast them. On top of that, the user needed to find an alternate Millennium Portal to return to their own world. If you were transported to a world either before the Portal's creation or in which the Portal never existed, you couldn't return home. And even then there was only a fifty-fifty chance of a successful return; users often returned injured, or maddened, or aged beyond belief. If that portal is used by the wrong person…Yuki, do you understand what we have to do?"

"I…" Yuki replied uncertainly. "I'm sorry, Kage-Sama, I don't quite follow." Kage shook her head, suppressing an exasperated sigh. She met Yuki's apologetic violet gaze with her own disapproving eyes, then shook her head.

"Yuki…we have to destroy the Millennium Portal. To do that, we need to venture inside and seek help. But in the process…Yuki-Chan, we'll endanger our own lives." Yuki nodded slowly, a numb, automatic movement, stiffly brushing a lock of red and black hair out of her eyes.

"I…I understand…" she mumbled something else, biting her lip.

"Huh?" Kage asked. "I didn't quite catch that last part."

"I said I understand." she didn't add anything else, just agreed, automatically, and matter-of-factly.

Kage nodded slowly. "I'm surprised at your willingness, Yuki. Life is a precious thing, which is exactly why we have to do this." the spirit turned to leave, but Yuki tugged urgently on her sleeve.

"Yuki?" Kage asked, quickly turning around. "What's wrong?" she demanded.

"Um…Kage…" muttered softly, nervously gripping the cuffs of her pink jacket. "What I meant to say was…well…" she inhaled deeply, burying her blushing face in her sleeves. "I meant to say…'I understand, Onee-San.' You… I've always thought of you as a sister…Kage-Sama…um, s-sorry…" Kage smiled, placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder.

"Don't be stupid, Yuki-Chan. I'm not going to be mad at you. Sisters don't hurt each other."

* * *

So there's chapter one! As much as I would like to use the Japanese names, the English ones, however crappy, seem to be more widely accepted, so I will use those. R&R, if you have the time.

Next Chapter: Yugi comes face to face with yet _another _alternate self. Who is this girl who calls herself Yuki, and why do the shadows cling to her like frost?

Until next chapter!

~Tempest


	2. Yuki, the Newcomer

"Huh…new kid?" Yugi wondered aloud, leaning back in his seat and twirling the Millennium Puzzle in his right hand. He had yet to ever grow wary of new students, whereas everyone else in the room tensed up at the teachers' announcement.

"Please," the teacher continued, "welcome Yuki Mizo." A short, pale looking girl sauntered cautiously into the room. Her outfit, Yugi noted, was a typical Domino High uniform, with a long-sleeved pink jacket, a sky-blue skirt, her own black and purple leggings (which she had been, surprisingly enough, permitted to wear) and a white tunic. A silver bow, rather than the typical blue one, graced the center of her jacket, which was longer in the back than in the front; for a plain school uniform, it looked pretty good on her. It was her hair, however, that caught everyone's attention. It tumbled midway down her back, unkempt. For the most part, it was black as the night sky, however it was framed with scarlet. Messy golden bangs cascaded down the sides of her soft face, and several locks partially obscured her right eye. There was a distant, fearful expression in her round, violet orbs, and her lips cast downward in a slight curve. The downy cuffs of her jacket were turned up several inches, but they still covered a portion of her hands, which were nervously balling the soft pink fabric in fists, knuckles white and trembling.

'Yugi…I don't trust her. She's…something's not right, I can tell.' Yami's voice echoed in the back of Yugi's mind.

Her hair…" Teá whispered disbelievingly.

"The crap!?" Joey muttered, shaking his head. "That girl looks like Yugi!"

The teacher scanned the room for a moment, then turned to face Yuki.

"There's an empty seat behind Muto-Kun." he told her, gesturing towards an empty desk. A terrified spark ignited in Yuki's eyes, and she yelped softly, bringing her hand to her mouth an biting down on her sleeve. Reluctantly, she made her way, trembling, to her seat. As soon as she sat down, Yugi bombarded the girl with questions.

"Hi, Yuki-Chan. I'm Yugi Muto! Where'd you move here from? Do you like games-oh! Have you made any friends yet, Yuki-Chan!?" Yuki winced away, biting her sleeve until Yugi was sure even the skin under her shirt must be torn. Her hands went to her chest as thought she was in pain, and Yugi was vaguely aware of a gentle throbbing ache in his own ribcage. Tears sprang to Yuki's eyes for a moment, until a reassured look suddenly crossed her face.

"Ah, I moved here from Europe." she said, quickly and awkwardly. "I do happen to enjoy games, but mostly puzzles or arcade games that make you think…" she grinned suddenly, reaching out a hand to shake Yugi's own. "And yes, it seems that I have."

* * *

"Really, Yugi? Didn't something seem off about her?" The pharaoh demanded.

"Nah, she seems nice. I don't see the problem, Yami-Kun."

Darkness lay across the park like a blanket, enveloping Yugi and the pale outline of Yami in a cold, bitter atmosphere. Yugi shivered at the sharp, cool air, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.

"Yugi! She looks almost exactly like us. Don't you find that odd? And did you see the way she reacted to our presence? I think it's best if we avoid her."

Yugi sighed and pocketed his numb, bleeding hands, sheltering them from the cold.

"Also, it might do you good to invest in a new pair of gloves; we might just both freeze if you don't." Yami sidetracked as though lessen his scolding, pocketing his own hands to emphasize his point.

"Yeah…" Yugi agreed absentmindedly, watching his breath greet the night air in billowing clouds. Stars twinkled whimsically in the sky, and the moon was a thin sliver of white. The only light to go by was the dimly lit street-lamps that lined the sidewalk like spectators lined a red carpet. Bugs sang in the distance, created what seemed like a symphony to Yugi, but a cacophony to Yami. The latter huffed softly, but if Yugi heard he didn't seem to care. In the awkward silence that followed, an odd sound like hurried whispering reached Yami's ears. He looked up, his curiosity cleverly masked. The pharaoh attempted to pinpoint the source of the noise, but, to his frustration, could not. He was sure he'd heard something else, but at that moment Yugi sneezed softly.

"S-sorry!" Yugi sniffled quickly, blushing and timidly bringing a sleeve to his nose.

"Don't do that, Yugi." Yami replied, producing a handkerchief from his pocket and tossing the scrap of white cloth to the boy.

"Ah, s-sorry, mou hitori no boku." Yugi said quickly, his face reddening once more. Yami chuckled, shaking his head. It was almost cute-screw it, it was-when Yugi was flustered like that. Yugi opened his mouth to retort indignantly, but they were interrupted by a shrill giggle, then a "keep it down, kid!"

"That sounded like Yuki…!" Yugi deduced, glancing around nervously. Yami, too, scanned the vast park, his ears alert for the sound of Yuki's bubbly, shy voice. His eyes fell on a bench hidden in the shadows of a tree. A crude, makeshift sheet-tent hung on the bench, entangled in a low-lying tree branch. Yami motioned towards the spot, then faded away, leaving Yugi alone.


	3. The Shadows and the Darkness

"The other you?" Yugi echoed softly. Yuki stared blankly into her mug, watching steam rise from her soup, dancing gracefully in the air before billowing away. Her stomach churned, and bile slicked the back of her throat.

"Yes…" she spoke softly; her throat and chest burned, and she didn't trust herself not to vomit if she raised her voice. A cough shook her frail body, causing her to gag. She swallowed hard, determined to keep down her lunch, which, surprisingly, had yet to settle, even now at almost midnight. "Kage-Sama…Kage-Sama told me to find my 'other self.' Yugi-Kun…I think she meant you." Yuki's face was a sickly green, the rest of her skin an unhealthy, dull, ashy hue of pale white. Kage probably would have scolded her. She was clearly unwell.

"And the 'Millennium Door?' Yami never said anything about a Millennium Door…" Yugi wondered aloud, sipping the last of the warm broth from his own porcelain coffee mug.

"Yami?" Yuki gave Yugi a questioning glance. It took her a moment to make the connection, then her violet eyes lit up dully, and she jabbed a finger at Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.

"You have one, too?" she asked. She reached for a string of beads that had been hidden behind her shirt, the top just visible around her neck. With a gently tug, she freed the object from her jacket. It was similar to the Millennium Puzzle that Yugi wore around his neck, but rather than a square pyramid, it was triangular. In contrast to a chain, as Yugi wore his, Yuki wore her puzzle on a string of small green beads, save for a stretch of rope towards the top where it was tied securely around her neck. As she pulled down the collar of her jacket, Yugi caught a glimpse of a choker, somewhat like a pink, jewel-encrusted cat collar, with a small, heart-shaped dog-tag. Yuki's puzzle, along with the Millennium Puzzle, glowed suddenly, the Millennium Eye insignia produced a blinding light. Before either child could speak, they were pushed suddenly through the walls of reality. When the light cleared, Yugi and Yuki had been replaced by their other halves. Yami Yugi smirked, tossing the Millennium Puzzle in the air, only for the chain around his neck to yank it back down and into his hand. He repeated the process several times before turning to look at the girl in Yuki's body, who was also toying with her version of the Millennium Puzzle.

"Yami Yuki, I presume?" the pharaoh asked after a moment, extending his right hand to his female counterpart. The girl skeptically shook Yami's hand.

"You can call me Kage, to avoid confusion. I take it you are Yami Yugi, the spirit of-" she gestured towards the Millennium Puzzle. "-that?"

Yami nodded. "That I am." he then asked suddenly, "What is your real name?" A clouded, far-away look crossed Kage's face, her mouth turning downward at the corners.

"I no longer go by that name," she replied dryly, forlornly, "just as you are simply 'Yami,' I am 'Kage.' You are Shadows, and I am the Darkness." A long pause, then Kage sighed.

"If you must know, it's Lapis. That, Yami, is all I know, and all I care to remember."

Yami nodded, jabbing a thumb at his chest.

"Atem." he replied softly. Kage and Yami sat in utter silence for a moment before Yami spoke.

"What was all this about a Millennium Door?" the pharaoh inquired. "You cannot honestly tell me such a thing exists. Although I suppose you are living proof that it may indeed."

Kage shrugged, replying bitterly, "Believe what you will, pharaoh boy." her tone that softened as she realized how harsh she was being. "You _are_ me, after all, and I am _you_."

Yami nodded, brushing off Kage's earlier rudeness. He crossed his arms and propped one leg over the other, a position he sat in out of habit.

"So," he began in a down-to-business tone of voice, "what do we have to do?"

"Hm?" Kage questioned. "You're actually going to help?"

A warm smile crossed Yami's face, one that made fewer and fewer appearances each day. "Of course, Kage-Chan," (Kage winced noticeably at the almost degrading honorific), "if Yugi doesn't see a problem with it, neither do I."

"Thank you, Yami-Kun," (she just had to get back at him), "I-_we_ appreciate it." she then yawned loudly into her sleeve, sighing. If Yuki didn't take better care of this body, sooner or later, they would both suffer for it.

"Tired?" Yami asked, a twinkle of amusement in his red-ish violet eyes.

"Well," Kage mumbled pointedly, "if Yuki-Chan would stop pulling all-nighters just to spy on me…then she has to only occasionally fall asleep and bug me when I forget to close the door to my mind's room…"

Yami shrugged, murmuring his understanding before adding "Grandpa isn't home, so you don't need to worry about staying here…but the only place left is the couch."

Kage snorted gently.

"Anything is better than the ground."

Yami excused himself from the table to grab a blanket from upstairs. When he returned, Kage was no longer there. Instead, Yuki was curled up on the couch, breathing rhythmically, a frown set on her face, arms wrapped protectively around her own body, her belly somewhat exposed. Yami watched her for a moment, then lay the blanket over her sleeping form. The spirit then ascended the stairs to Yugi's room to get ready for bed.

* * *

"Thank you, Yugi-San." Yugi turned to lock the door behind them before flashing Yuki a no-problem-any-time grin.

"So," the girl asked shyly once the duo was on their way to school, "will your grandpa be home later? Y-y'know, since he has a shop to run?" The previous night's unease and exhaustion had been stripped from her soul, and she know smiled softly at Yugi, her other self. _But Kage-Sama is the other me..._ Yuki pondered inwardly. _Does that mean that I have two mou hitori no boku?_

"Hm? No, I don't think so." Yugi answered her previous question, cutting into her current train of thought. "He's visiting a friend in America for the next three days. You should be fine staying with me, if that's what's worrying you, Yuki-Chan."

'Hey, Yuki!' Kage interrupted for the first time in a while. Yuki smiled; Kage's constant pestering seemed to be a sign that things were finally returning to normal.

'Yes, mou hitori no boku?' Yuki replied briskly, turning to follow Yugi to school. Kage's faint, ghostly outline emerged from the Millennium Jigsaw, rolling her eyes.

'Well, mou hitori no ore,' she replied sarcastically, then grew almost serious again. 'Remember, we're here for a reason. Don't get to comfortable. This boy is _not_ your friend. He is _you_.'

'Kage-Sama, I know. You don't need to warn me.' Yuki shot back, pushing the spirit to the back of her mind. Kage huffed in annoyance, shoving Yuki harshly. Though she hadn't physically lay a hand on the girl, Yuki cried out, staggering. Instantly, she felt Yugi's hand on her shoulder, steadying her. 'Not…your friend.' Kage forced the words into Yuki's consciousness before retreating to her Mind's Room. Yuki quickly righted herself, blushing madly.

"Th-thank you, Yugi-San! S-s-sorry!" Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but a soft chuckle cut him off.

"Yugi-Kun, Yuki-Chan?" Yuki spun around, teeth bared in a cat-like snarl and hands raised like claws. A boy with long, unkempt white hair stood before her, a startled look on his pale face.

'That boy looks like Sakura-Chan.' Kage noted.

'He's not wearing the Talisman.' Yuki replied casually. 'He probably isn't a threat.'

"Bakura-Kun!" Yugi greeted, placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder and gently pushing her away.

'Yep, that's defiantly Sakura.' Kage chuckled.

"Don't forget me!" Akio-rather, Téa.

"Or us!" Jeido and Haru…

'I suppose they're Joey and Tristan here.' Kage corrected with amusement. Yuki shied away, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of-gender-bent versions-of her friends.

'I don't even want to know what's become of Mahō-Kun…' Yuki grimaced inwardly, sighing.

'We'll see, aibou.' there was more than a hint of amusement in her voice, and her eyes sparkled with laughter.

* * *

'Ugh! Genderswapped teachers are _still_ assholes!' Kage exlaimed, hovering next to Yuki, her hands folded behind her head. 'You sure you don't want me to give any of them Penalty Games?'

'I'm sure, Onee-San.' Yuki's reply came quickly. 'They haven't done anything deserving of your Hellish illusions.'

Kage merely huffed in response, crossing her arms.

'Oh, they deserve far more than just images of Hell…' she snarled, quieting at last.

"Thank you for letting me stay, Yugi-San." Yuki murmured, ignoring the spirit's shouts of protest, as Joey and Tristan finally went their separate ways, leaving the genderbent counterparts to walk home.

"It's no problem, Yuki-Chan." Yugi replied cheerfully.

'Hey, Yugi.' Yami cut in.

'What is it, mou hitori no boku?'

'What happens when Grandpa comes home? Where do we send Kage and Yuki?'

'Um…I don't know. I'm sure Téa or Bakura can let her stay with them.'

'Hmm…' the pharaoh didn't sound convinced, but his ghost shrugged dismissively nonetheless.

'I can only hope you're right, aibou. I can only hope you're right.'


End file.
